Innovative Projects Realized

Eutectic Electrolytes for Low-temperature Aqueous Zinc-ion Capacitors

Energy storage technology is critical for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to renewable energy and should be designed to suit the cold environment in Canada. In collaboration with Atlas Power Technologies Inc., a B.C.-based clean technology company, Dr. Liu’s group will design and build an aqueous zinc-ion capacitor (AZIC) technology with high-power, intrinsic safety, and low-temperature resistance from a carbon cathode and a zinc anode. Specifically, the intern will develop a new class of electrolytes, Zn-based eutectic electrolytes, to enable the various properties in AZIC. The developed AZIC will double the energy density of the current SC technology at Atlas Power Technologies, increase the company’s competitiveness in the energy storage sector globally, accelerate the technology deployment in Canada, and contribute to the achievement of net-zero emissions by 2050 in Canada.

Implementation of HR-EBSD and ECCI for advanced microstructure analyses on the nanoscale

In order to achieve breakthroughs in the understanding and development of materials, new and advanced analysis methods are crucial. Especially, looking at the µm to atomic scale, which is still challenging, helps to understand fundamental mechanisms behind macroscopic phenomena. This understanding, in turn, can help to improve manufacturing processes and in the design of new materials. In this project, new and advanced SEM analysis methods namely Electron Channelling Contrast Imaging (ECCI) and High Resolution Electron Backscatter Diffraction (HR-EBSD) should be established at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Moreover, the limits of these methods in terms of resolution should be tested and advanced. The results will be crosschecked by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) at the NRC Nanotechnology lab in Alberta. Both methods can be used to understand deformation processes better and to visualize defect structures in various materials (metals, minerals and ceramics).For this project, we will develop the approach to look at electrical iron silicon steel, which is the core of every electric machine, where it guides and magnifies the magnetic flow. Optimising the performance of this material is critical to maximise energy transmission efficiency and reduced losses.

Thermal microgrid: An integrated energy system with low carbon technologies

Shortening the difference between where energy is generated and where it is being used, the need for heavy-duty transmission infrastructure could be avoided to reduce the amount of energy lost along the way and eliminate the impact of grid failure. The proposed project, a thermal microgrid, can connect alternative generation, renewable generation, rejected or waste heat, and storage to simultaneously provide optimized heating and cooling services. The integrated system can substantially reduce the carbon footprint by creating a sustainable energy sharing network for local communities. The industry partner, GSS Integrated Energy, can utilize the learning from this project for broader application. Such as integrating multiple buildings to the microgrid to achieve energy resilience and a much higher level of efficiency by moving thermal energy where needed.

Investigation of Canadian hemp cottonization using steam explosion technology

The overall goal of the proposed two-year project focuses on the development of textile fibres from Canadian grown hemp. In the first year, we will complete the characterization of the Canadian hemp bast fibres, obtained after different growing cycles, and compare them with the hemp bast grown for textile applications (e.g., collected from China and USA). We will establish the degumming process to produce cottonized hemp fibres. Cottonized hemp fibres will be produced from both Canadian hemp and the Chinese and American hemp using steam pretreatment/explosion and mild delignification process. The quality of the cottonized fibres will be assessed and compared with those produced in China and USA. In the second year, based on the comparison data obtained from Year 1, we will continue to assess various technologies, by optimizing the degumming process parameters and post-treatments, to improve the quality of the cottonized hemp fibres. The cost analysis of the proposed hemp cottonization method will be performed as well. The partner organization (Tentree) is a sustainable apparel brand that plants ten trees for every item of clothing sold, which is dedicated to being a Climate+ company. The success of this project will provide an innovative Canadian hemp cottonization model for use in their products. In addition, developing an opportunity for hemp fiber to be competitive with cotton (but with a smaller environmental footprint) provides a huge business opportunity for Canada and the local community.

A deep learning approach to Question Answering systems for the digital twins of buildings

The data describing different aspects of a building comes from various disciplines and is most often residing in disparate systems. Yet, an effective management of the building performance requires access to a unified view of the whole lifecycle data. Using existing technologies disparate sources of the building data can be integrated and stored in the form of graphs whose nodes represent building entities and whose edges describe the relationships between the entities. However, retrieving data from such graphs requires technical knowledge about database systems and the backbone of the graphs (i.e., data schemas). Hence, applicability of such technologies remains inefficient for building professionals. This research proposes to investigate a highly intuitive interface which allows users to search through the connected sources of building data using natural language statements. The results can lay a foundation for developing commercialized products of intelligent conversational agents for industrial applications.

Lumos smart light therapy glasses: how light exposure relates to mental wellness and sleep, integrating product engineering with psychology and psychiatry

Light can have a significant effect on our wellbeing. In general, it is healthy to follow the natural outdoor cycle and receive a lot of light during the day and no light at night. However, in the modern world of high-rise buildings and
electric lights, we can often end up desynchronized from the outdoor world. This can lead to issues with sleep, circadian rhythm, and mood. The Lumos smart light therapy glasses aims to solve this problem by supplementing light during the day and block out light in the evenings. It uses advanced optical technology to brings the benefits of a light therapy lamp and blue blocking glasses onto a regular looking pair of glasses. In this project, our team is conducting clinical trials to research how the smart glasses can be used to improve sleep and mental wellness in the general population, clinical population, and shift workers.

HeART-BRAIN : Esquisse du cerveau face au 3ème art

Le projet HeART-BRAIN est un partenariat tripartite entre un hôpital, l’Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal (ICM), un musée, le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (MBAM), et la recherche académique, l’Université de Montréal. Son objectif est d’étudier les mécanismes cérébraux impliqués dans la visite au musée, afin de mieux évaluer son potentiel pour favoriser le bien-être, diminuer le stress et améliorer le fonctionnement cardiovasculaire de populations aux prises avec la maladie cardiaque chronique. Pour ce faire, l’équipe de recherche travaillera avec le MBAM pour développer des visites au musée « bien-être » spécialement conçues pour réduire le stress et l’anxiété du visiteur. L’effet de ces visites sur la santé mentale et cardiaque de personnes âgées en santé ou atteint de fibrillation auriculaire, sera évalué en aiguë, après une seule visite, et à long terme, après une intervention de 12 semaines de visites au musée hebdomadaires. Parallèlement, les mécanismes cérébraux seront évalués au moyen d’un système de neuroimagerie embarqué dont les participants seront équipés durant certaines de leurs visites au musée, et qui permettra de mesurer l’activité cérébrale provoquée par la contemplation des œuvres.

Characterization of ex vivo manipulated hematopoietic stem cells towards the improved production of safe and optimal blood grafts for therapeutical applications

Hematopoietic stem cells have the ability to sustain lifelong production of blood cells and are currently used to treat patients with various blood disorders via bone marrow transplantation. A critical aspect of using stem cells for therapies is their limited availability. Therefore, expansion and production of functional blood cells is essential to improve transplantation and develop new targeted therapies. This project aims to support ExCellThera’s effort in developing the ideal blood stem cell grafts via ExCellThera’s robust expansion and cell engineering platforms to improve patient outcome. Understanding how manipulating these cells in a dish affects their overall behavior is an important part of optimizing the production of cells for targeted therapeutical application. Here, we propose to develop a tracking system to study how individual blood stem cells evolve as we expand them or engineer them for gene therapies. This new platform will allow us to better understand the expansion process to achieve desired cell products and will be used to test various cells for their clinical potential.

Development of an International consensual method for water use impact assessment in LCA

The main objectives for the industrial partners Hydro Québec and Cascades within the MITACS Elevation program are threefold: a. Ensure their industrial voice is represented on this international consensus building process b. Being proactive, influence the process and anticipate the developments on the consensus around water footprinting methods c. Generate industry specific case studies to test the method, ensure key problems are addressed and increase internal awareness Supporting the researcher that will lead the international process conducted under WULCA group is the mean of meeting the above mentioned objectives. The general objective of the project conducted within WULCA working group is to coordinate the consensuses building process and lead the scientific work into achieving a harmonized method for assessing water use in LCA, involving key method developers and stakeholders through an international collaborative effort. This method should evolve from the knowledge gained from the qualitative and quantitative method comparison which was performed as the 2nd and respectively 3rd deliverable of the working group [3]. The consensual method will represent a novel approach building on the relevant elements of existing models and hence not focus on elevating one method over the others.

Using AI to Improve the Understanding and Diagnosis of Bipolar Neuroprogression

Traditionally, research into brain diseases has mainly focused on neurons. However, in recent decades, the brain’s blood vessels have taken a new spotlight. It is now known that when these blood vessels are damaged, potentially harmful substances can leak from the blood into the brain.

In this project, I will study the role of leaky blood vessels in the progression of bipolar disorder. Using a specialized MRI technology and artificial intelligence algorithms, I will: (1) elucidate the link between leaky blood vessels and bipolar disorder progression; (2) advance the technology for MRI-based diagnosis of psychiatric symptoms; and (3) lay the foundation for research into novel treatments that repair the brain’s blood vessels.

This project will bring Emagix closer to commercializing the developed diagnostic tool, with the ultimate goal of allowing doctors and researchers to diagnose and track the progression of psychiatric diseases in an objective and quantitative manner.

Autonomous Mobile Energy System Modeling and Optimization

The proposed research project is targeted to develop an accurate mathematical description for control and optimization of the Autonomous Mobile Energy system (AMES) and its integration with potential applications in mining, water desalination and other areas. The system incorporates solar thermal system thermal energy storage and an auxiliary energy source and will provide uninterrupted clean energy with no fuel supply or power grid connection required. Ascent Systems Technologies will benefit by being able to realize a full-scale functional prototype of the module. With the eventual commercialization of the product, Canada will benefit because this technology supports transition to a low-carbon economy

Extracting and Matching Keypoints using Deep Learning to Estimate Salmon Biomass

In land-based aquaculture being able to estimate the mass of a fish is critically important in monitoring their health as they move through their lifecycle as well as knowing when to harvest. Current methods are invasive to the fish in its environment and result in mortality during sampling. We aim to use two cameras placed closely together underwater to take simultaneous pictures of fish and enable the estimation of their biomass. This is a complicated process involving the use of AI and ML to automate the identification of a fish in the cameras’ field of view and then make specific measurements of the fish to determine its biomass. Working with land-based fish farms we will collect data that can be validated and use these examples to train our models.